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" Come, Cleutle Spring:." Tiill luu, tuou tliat watcLegt o'or iiathororB o( (joldtii lumoy Tliroucli the Hapiiliuu dayuiaiid itiiiay, l>iiyK iDftt now wo Hoo no mon*, W)mru Imve lied iIiumi tpilorn bcltod NVitli nilnlgoiil Imudu ul.niubor '.' Ii<'ii.lloii8 are llm vium that dauibur Wlicre llioy rovil liuld o[ yore. I'lli^liod tlio ram aiiibroHiu inultud iu tlio liuuuyaucklo bullb : ]3raiuuil tljo uo<.-tur from the colU O! ttio ituuitb-loukiDK Illy ; Whilo lliii winds tliroiiitli wan and cliilly IlourM urouud us nmo and roar. Thoy liavii robb«d Iho yuar of bwuotausa, Ijeavm^ ut> itd aHtinn curu ; Have they full>>wttd thou with 11uutne!i3, ILoldiuu Hlill Ihiiir wialth in utoru " in uur viBiouH wo buliuldâ€" Wbilo llio Htiuijin),' HturniBhaf tH hurtle O'or tho burioa boda of niyrtlo- - All thy houoy'H liquid ^old, Drainod from asptiodolii of old Whoro Arca<iiau fiMnitalliH uptirtlu Crui'i, orutd. tlius t.) lliiuat iiu Throu)tb the chiU of wintry iiiRht '. Cruul, urui'l, tliuH to huunt us With Hwoot viniouH ot duli^bt ! Conio, wy pray tboo, tiunuj and briiiK «tack thy troop and t<ky-lioldH Huuuy ; We would nuall tho yoar'H froHh houoy From tho i-lialict' of tho uprinf^ ! SHIRLEY ROSS : A Story of Woman's Faithfulness. â€" « â€" 6he cIdd); to Guy in a paroxy am of ter- ror at the thoagbt, the otily clear one now jn her bewildered brain. " I am not bia wife â€" it iu impossiblo! No, no, Ouy, do not leave mo to bim~take mo awayâ€" take me away t " 6be bid ber face on hia broaiit, trembling <X>nvDliiivuly in ovury limb, whilo Guy bowed bia head over horn in an a);ony aa freat a» her own, bia Btrong framo trem- lintj with the euppruBsod rjtgo and fury which burned in bia heart when ho thoagbt <if tbo mibory before hor. "Guy "â€"lifting ber head and mooting hia sorrowful eyea â€" " forgive me I I forgot I I won't pain you, dear, any more. My lioad Bcvina so utran^e and confused that I do not know what I urn Baying. Why did 1 come'l 1 walked all tho »ay,you know.Uawald helped meâ€" he waa very good ; but ho could sot help itu being uo cold, you know. And when I fell he aaid, '('omo backâ€" come iiOme.' liut I knew that I miiat come, that if I did nut Moniethin){ dreadful -" Again tho trombling eei/.ed bur, and ber voicodiod •way on the |>arched li|M, but bor eyca etill looked upward tu hiu. " Ah, I remember I Oay, yuu will not -tliuru id aomething I have to aak you- yuu wiM come away from horo-you will not -oh, Guy "--aha slid down from hi.i arnia and auuk at bis feet, Jiolding out ber little, eager, aupplicating handaâ€" " oh, Guy, if you ever loved mo â€" 1 can see the danger in your face, and and â€" it territiea mo I Uli, Guy, comu away oomo away !" 6ho was clinging to liiin aa ahe knelt at ilia feel in a very doliriuni of terror, hor iianda upraiacd, bor hair awieping tbo ground. Iteniliiig, Guy Btruvu to raise her, hut she rcsiiited. "No, no, I will kneel bore! O-iwald, iielp me tu plead. Do you not see do you not Bce- " " Hhirley, dear, Guy will come away. Ite -oatm, child ; yuu will only make youraolf ill." Captain Kairholine had come to her side. (Japl «>««tUg nor „. „ mmm.^ .-...^, â€" Bootbingly. Hi' h«w that the girl^ mind waa alinoHt unhinged with miacry, and tho iovor-light in her eyta lerrillod him. "l>o you not Bee?" ahe refieatod, .piteously. " Ho will kill bin. I Oswald, make bim go ; ho has Hiifl'urml au much that ilia miaory has -" " Tbia Bcone nitiist end," aaid Kir Hugh, advancing. "Major Htuart. if yon liavo «ny pity for this poor child, who is evi- dehtly hu terribly upset by all tiie excito- iiient alio baa undergone that alio is not conscious of what ahe iii saying, yon will leave us. 1 am at your aorvico whenever you like to call upuii me. You can loavo uiy wife to my care now." " Go, Guy, for Heaven's aako, and end thia acene I It is killing Hhirley," Oswald aaid entreatingly, for his cousin's condition waa alarming bim greatly ; tbo fever of hor mind was struggling against her physical oxhauation, and she clung to bim, panting and breathless, in ber agony of terror. " To leave ber thus I" cried Guy bitterly. " Uow can I '.' I 'airhohno, pat yourself in my plaoo. To leave ber to that dastard, who has so cruelly betrayed ua both I AVhy dill you let hor come'.' I claim a mau'a right to vnngoance. Kvon his life would not bo a auflioient " " You are talking madly," interrupted Oswald. " What vengeance <'an you take that will not fall moal heavily upon horV Ah, surely slio has aulTered enough I Will yoti add to hor misery V It would be kinder to tear her limb from limb than let ber Huflor this I And you say you love hort" Guy Htuart atood silent, his handa -clinched, his bead bont, his breathing loud and fast. To let go his vengeance waa harder than to part with hia own life. To forgive the man who had eo tarribly wronged him was beyond hia strength. The very sight of the livid changed face lying against Oswald's shoulder goaded him to madness. Wbilo ber life should last she must aiiflor thrungh that man I Could any vongoanco I o too groat V Would any coat be counted if he could bo. made to auuor in hia turn ? He lifted hia cyea and turned them full upon bis betrayer, and under the hate and bitterness of that look Bir Hugh, bravo aa bn waa, felt tbo color lea>o hia face. A bitttir cry of anguiah and doapair rang through tho room. " Uo will not boar mo - bo never loved me! Oh, Ouy- oh, Guy!" At the broken wailing words (iuy turned to her, and, aa bia eyes roatod upon ber, all the angardied out of them, and a yearning heart-broken tondcrnoBu roplaood it. Ue looked at her for a moment, tho girl he loved 80 wildly, and wlio had boon etolen from him by so base a thoft, the girl who was another man's wife ; then bo turned •way and covered bia face with bia handa, and thoro waa breathless ailenni in the room, during which, had ita occupants been leaa absorbed, they might have heard the eonnd of rapidly approaching wheels. l''or a minute no one moved or spoke; then Hhirley crept to Gny'a aide and raised hqr lincera to * bis hands aa thoy were rlaapod before hia face. At tho touch, light «a it waa, a ahiver ran through tho strong f ramu, and he uncovered hia face and stood erect'.' ' ' "I will go," he said hoarsely. "It is better - 1 will. No, my darlingâ€" how can I take yon with iiio ? Yoa are his wife, re- member." Hbo had olaapod her handa round hia arm ; but at ihe words, so heart-rending in their bitter Bnt;uiah, ao hopeloas in their miacry, the little clinging llngera fell away, and aho drew back with a puz/.led look. " Ouy," ahe aaid faintly, " have you for- gotten how to love ma'! Are you angry? Have I vexed you?" " Dear, do you forgot?" he asked piti- f uUy, aa ho made his way toward the door, moving like a man suddenly stricken with blindnoaa, Shirley following with the same wistful, pu/./led look, which made Oswald watch hor with a nameless fosr. At tho door Guy paused, with trembling handa for tho handle, not daring to look at Shirley, and feeling that he could have faced death more easily than those wonder- ing, shining eyes. " Guy, you will not go without me?" she aaid piteously. " You will not leave me here? Ah " â€" with a cry that rang through tho room â€" " I forgot â€" I forgot!" Not daring to hesitate, Guy opened tho door, and wont out into the hall, where two ladiesâ€" hady Gaiiel and her daughter â€" came forward eagerly as he appeared, but whom he passed without recognition. Thoy uttered a simultaneous exclamation of dis. tress, and hurried into tho library, and, whilo ono ran to Shirley and caught her in hor arms, tho other turned to Oswald. "For Heaven's sake, follow him !" Lady Capol said hurriedly. " Ho neoda you moat 1" Oswald obeyed witliont a word ; and, with a glance at her daughter, who was crying paaaionately, with hor arms round Shirley, whose eyes were dry and wild and vacaut, and who paid no heed to Kuby'a tears and caresses, her ladyship addreaaed Bir Hugh â€" "You mu.st pardon this intrusion. Sir Hugh ; but my daughter was in such dis- tress about Hhirley â€" sho feared she was ill, andâ€" â€" " " No apology is needed," Sir Hugh said, an expression of intense relief on his coun- tenance aa ho wont forwanl. " No words can express my j^ratitudo for your kind- ness, I.iady Cai>el. I fear indeed that this has boon too much for Shirley, and I will gladly loavu her ill your caro. 1 will send my houaekoepor to you." He left tho room, and. as he crossed the ball, Shirley's shrill laughter followed him, and 1.0 heard her voice asking Uuby, in a puzzled tone, why she waa crying, what was aho sorry about, and to ace how happy she was, and to listen Then came that shrill, dreadful laughter again. ohai'Ti:kxxv. "Isitnot time thoy were here, Dick- son?" "In about half an hour, air,' aaid the attendant's grave respectful voice . and Kir Jasper Stuart moved uneasily on hia pil- lows. It was so hard to wait whon time was so abort with him now. It might be measured by liuurs, oven by minutea. In the great bedchamber of tne stately I/ondon Houae tho lire glowed brightly, and tho lamp buriieil with a soft aubdued lustre which dul not distress the dim eyes of the invalid who lay there, half raised upon his pillows, with yearning impatience upon his face, a face over which the shadow of death waa creeping slowly but surely. Hut even that shadow and that yearning ..I.I.. UXfh l|Ul»t1 nU,l 4pU^ lt«vk>« ol..nl.«MJi«l,ll.,«. and hoj>o which sliuno so brightly over the age<l countenance, ono which oven now showed iioiiie of tho groat beauty which had boon Sir .lasper's portion. The foatiires, aharpenud though they were, wore regular and shapely, the inassos of wliito hair were thrown back from his forehead, and tho gray eyes, dim and fast growing aighlloas now, had been the counterpart of Guy's. And the face, which in bis youth had boon ao grand, was grand still with the endor- anix) whicli was upon it, with ilH brow all patience anil its lips all pain. For nearly tho whole of his long lifo. Sir Jasper Stuart had been an invalid, para lyz«<l and crippled from lii.s manlioud, and nobly ho bad burno his sulTering, nobly conijuered the nbelliouK lliou«htB whinh were BO apt to rise. I ntil tho accido.,, oy which he bad boon laid low, his slroiigth had boon even greater than tho average, and ho had oiijoyeil lifo with all tho /est given by his superb manhood andhiscloiid- Uiaa fortune , but auddonly and swiftly the burden of pain ami sulTering and woary inaction had been laid U|K>n him, and ho bad taken it up as gaUantly, with as bruve a amilo and as dauntleaa a front as any knight of old. And now ho was about to lay it down, and ho uas glad to bo free of its pain and weariness at last. Within all was bright and warm and noiseless, without in tho London siiuarotho winter storm raged violently. 'I'lie hail and sleet dashed against tho windows, tho wind roared ceaselessly, andovorand again a Hash of lightning gleamed through the darkness. Sir .laspor, loaning back, lis tonod to till) swiftly falling hail and tho moaning bowling wind. " It is a bad night for them to come home," he said presi«itly. •' lint tliov won't bo thinking of the wind and bail. Has Owens gone yet, Dickson.'" " 'I'ho carriage has just started. Sir Jasper." " Has Mrs. James ovorything ready for thoni, Dickson '." " Mra. James has surpassed lioraolf. Sir Jaaper. There is not a aorvant in tho house who would not do their best to wel- come Major Stuart and hia lady." " Ho will bo a good master to you whon I am gone, Dickaon, and 1 hope you will aervo him aa faithfully aa you have servod me. It woiihl have boon pleasant," ho added with a faint amile. " to aeehia young wife Hitting iihoiit tho old rooms, brighten- ing them with tho aunabine of hor sweet preaence; but it is not to bo, and I am (jnito content. " There was a pauso then, during which tho old man'a dim eyes wore li.\od upon a akotoh which lay before him, a sketch of Shirley Uoaa in hor fur cap and jacket, which Guy had drawn one day and had given to hia undo, who bad amiled at hia eloquent description of Shirley's beauty. "She is very lovely," he murmured to himself ; " and ahe looka true. I am glad my boy will bo ao happy." Tho minutea slipped by, tho hail ooaBod, and the moaning of the wind aoemed to loason. Suddenly Dickaon roao. " 'I'ho carriage has returned, Bir Jaaper," he aaid (jniotly. "Ah, that ia woll I The tima snoma to go ao slowly whon one waits." Two minutea moro paaaed, and then on the staira without sounded a footstep. and into Sir Jasper's dying eyes oame a gleam of intense eagerness. "The door of hia room opeued quietly, and a tall man entered, crpaaod the room with rapid atop, and knelt down by the bedside. Bir Jas- por'a eyea met his in eager love ; then they wont beyond him to seok the other form he 80 much wished to see, and came back, wistful and questioning, to rest on his nephew's face. " Uncle Jasper "â€"Gay's voice, eager, tender, and unsteady, broke tho silence first â€" " you expected me, did you not ?" " Not you only, dear lad," aaid tho old man, whoao eyos, ditn aa they wore, aaw tho terrible change in the face of the man whom ho loved so tenderly. " You aro glad to see me, air?" " When am I not glad, Ouy?" "And you areâ€" not worae, I hope? Y'ou have not been suffering much? Where is Dickaon ? I should like to ask him " Tho old man's lingera touched his nephew's and stopped the nervous reatless speech, and Ouy, who had riaen, reanmed hia old poaition, kneeling beside tho bed. "I have not boon autlering," Sir Jaaper said gently. " Sit down, lad; you must bo woary. ' Ouy obeyed at onoe, throwing himself into an arm-chair by the bed, and trying to screen hia face from tho keen eyes which were reading all its pain and all its unrest. " You are alone, my boy?" " Yea, Uncle Jasper." "Guy, my dear lad, what ia that pain upon your face'.' " Guy's head 'sank upon bia breaat; he could not apeak falaoly to hia unole now, and yet how could ho pain him by the story ho had to ten? " Y'ou have had some great trouble since I aaw you, ]fd," went on the tender sympathizing voice â€" and Guy'a iingera cloBod over the cold hand in hia with a convulsive pressure. " Tell it me, Guy." " It is nothing. Yoa need not be trou- bled for mo, i'ncle Ja8£)er," Guy aaid huskily. "Nothing! Ali, lad, I can believe my old eyea atiU!" he anawerod, smiling faintly. " Do not be afraid to tell me, Guy." I have been troubled; but it is over," Ouy aaid ateadily. " Do not think of it, air. Let ua aiieak of something else." " It will not hurt you to tell me, lad, nor will it hurt me to hear. Nothing can hurt me now, yon know, because 1 ara ao near tho border of that land whore all dark placca will be made light and all rough placea amootb. Tell me, ladâ€" why ia not Kliirloy with yoa?" Ouy winced. The mention of her name probed the open woimd and gave him keen pain. She haa not deceived you, lad?" She'.' No, p«or childt" Guy said bit- terly. Then yoa aro saved the crueleat pang of all, Guy. l^ere ia no pain so hard (o bear as that'brought by the knowledge of the unworthineaa of ono we love." " Shirley is worthy of the truest love any man could give her," Major Stuart aaid buakily. " Hut, Ucclo Jaaper, why need you be troubled.' I must get over it aa best I can, and I must try to forgot the happy dreams I have dreamed lately." •Forget them! Why?" "Uecausoâ€" because they have stolen her from me." "^ ' ovut«a itHi^iiBui yoa, Obt' Wl>n has done this, lad?" "Ono who called himself my friend." " Your friend! Toll aie all, Guy. I can bear any trouble hotter than thia suspense and ignorance of what ia jfrieviag you." And, simply, and with aa little bitter- neaa aa he could, Ouy told bim all. The old man listened in siloiuo, only the feeble pressure of his thin tlugera over Guy'a strong ones showing what ho felt, and onco or twice a sudden gleam of anger Hashing into his dim eyos. Wrong, insult, injury to himself he could have borne, bul injury to Guy cut bim dooi>er far. "My jX)or boy, my poor boy ! " he aaid, as Guy's head sunk upon his hands iu uncontrollable emotion. " It waa a cruel deed." " Oruol. (!onld any vongoanco bo too great for Uiat daatard's crime ?" Guy aaid passionately. "Toll mo. Uncle Jasper- you who can judge diapassionately would it bo moro than justice if I laid him dead at my foet .' If a man attacks you in a fair tight, you can meet bim and defend yourself : but a vile traitor who ataba you in the dark, who takea your hand in friend- ahip, meaning to betray you baaely, who takes from the ono precious thing which gladdens your lifo -what iiumsbment great Heaven, what punishment oould be severe enough for bim '.' If I slew him, 1 should be too merciful," be said between his teeth . then, mooting tho sorrowful dim eyes, he made a strong elTort to regain his self control. " Forgive mo, dear l^ncle tiaaper !" he said, bonding towardhim. " 1 waa wrong to startle you thuaâ€" very wrong." " Voii wore wrong -very wrong," hia uncle answered >|uietly â€" " but not booause you startled mo. Guy, have vou forgotten tho words, ' Vengeance ia Mine ; I will repay' '.'" " ilut such perfidy, auch treachery ! " aaid the yoang man, panting with the might of hia paaaion for vongoanco, which ho atrovo in vain to conceal. " No murder could have been ao vile. A murderer kills the body, but ho haa killed my aoul." " Huah, for Heaven's sake, lie aileut, Ouy 1" Guy'a bronzed faoe paled to the boo of death at tho entreaty and pain in the feeble voice, hia lips trembled, and tho tlaab of madnoaa died out of bia eyea. " Forgive me. Uncle Jasper ; bat, ah, if you knew how I loved hor, and how ahe is suffering." " 1 know bow you lovod ber, Guy ; for onco I loved even as you do, and I know how you both snfl'er," Sir ilasper aaid brokenly. " Kvery step of thia weary road over which you are walking 1 have trodden, every pang you have anffered I have known every pang, but intenaifled a hundred- fold, bocauae, while you can honor Shirley still, I found my idol waa nothing but clay." " Uncle Jaaper !" Low and broken and pained were the worda now ; the madnoaa was dying ont of hia heart ; tho greatnoaa of hia grief waa not lesaenod, but it was calmed by the worda, ao aolemnly tender, ao deeply aad, which he hod hoard. " I was a younger man than you, Guy, whon I loved oven aa you loved, and thought that I was loved in return. But I was wrong. She protended to love me, and one day I fosnd oat my miatake. It ia a long itory ; bat I need not givo yoa ita details now, Guy. The mau who won her from me waa my frioad, and it waa to bim I owed the accident whiub made n^.e what you Lave known moâ€" a helpleaa cripple." An exclamation of pain aad horror broke from Major Staart's lipa. " Yes," Sir Jasper wont on, in hia grave, pained, weary voice, " but for him, lahotUd have been as other men, Qay â€" atrong and healthy, able to enjoy life and see good days. He took from mo the woman I loved ; he deprived me forever of health and atrength, of the dear and close ties of marriage. What woman, oven had ahe loved me, could I have asked to share my life ? Had I no cause for vengeance. Gay ? And yet, when it waa in my rjacb, when, yeara after, it waa in my power to avenge myself fully, to strike every joy he pos- sessed from hia hand, even aa be had taken them from mine, to shiver to the dust the honors and auccessea he had won, I refrained. Ah, Guy, dear lad, there ia a nobler juatioe than the justice ot reveage ! What mercy dare we look for if we grant none ? Lying here, ' with the light from the windows of my Fatbor'a manaion shin- ing upon my homeward path,' I can look back thankfully te the paat, whereas " He sunk back exbaasted ; he had spoken with unusual paasion and earnestness, and the feeble frame was not equal to such emotion. Guy bent over him, lifting him in bia atrong arma and supporting bim ten- derly during the paroxysm of pain which followed. As he laid him down again, the dying eyea met hia with a living light in them. " Guy, you will forgive me. Ah, it is hard, I know ! But do not think that be will not suffer ; be will regret his baseness bitterly. How can he be happy if be loves her and sees her misery ? Lad, do yoa remember " â€" the dying face was serene once more as the dying eyes lingered on Guy's softened face â€" " the play we read together ao loug ago, and which you liked ao well ? Ah, Guy, ' how would you be, if He which is the top of judgment ahotild but judge you aa you are ?' Forgive him, lad. I'romise me yoa wUl never seek to harm him â€" promise- promise, Ouy." The room waa very silent for a space : the light fell a|>on both faces from the light above them. Sir Jasper's grave, earnest, pleading, Guy's softened truly but full of bitter resentment atill. It was bitter as death itself to give that promise. Uuuh had been merciless to him â€" why should be show him mercy ? But, looking at tho dying man who loved him, and who had borne a long life of pain so uncomplainingly â€" who, when revenge lay between his lingers, in tbo hollow of his hand, had laid it aside â€" he aaw to what nobility a man can attain, he aaw how much greater even than revenge was the conquest which bad made bim king over himaelf. The door opened aoftly to admit Dickson, who came to the bedside noiaolesaly, then retreated again at a sign from the dying man. Uo went out i|uietly, his eyes di.a and bis lips trembling ; tbo shadow had grown very dark and heavy, that falling shadow of death. The hail had ceased and the sound uf the wind was lowered and rain fell. " Will you not promise me, lad?" " I promise, I'ncle Jaaper," Gay said brokenly : and a light ot joy, so bright, 30 vivid, that (or a moment it dispersed the gathering darkness, shone on the Vytng faoe. " Thank you, lad ; you have made me very happy, Guy." The atillnesa deepened, the gray ahr.dow crept over the sulTering face ; death .vas coming fast now. " I'oor lad !" murmured the pale lips. " You will bo very lonely. I hadao hoped !" ' You do uot auCfer ?" Guy asked l>end ing over him. "No; all suffering ia nearly over for me." ilia eyea were cloaed, but ho opened them auddonly, and looked long and lingci ingly at the face of the man hu lovod so well. " Kias mo lad," he whispered. Ony bent down and touched withbiaown tho bearded lipa which had claimed tho promise from him. A smile crept into the dying eyes and, reaching the mouth, ling- ered there, A long-drawn sigh rose from the lipa, the weary limba straightened themselves for their last roat, and, aa the atorm died in the distance and the wind lulled, the long life of pain was over, and Bir Jaaper Stuart waa at rest. At rest, with a smile upon hia serene faco at roat, having obtained a promise which waa of greater worth than even he had gueaaod ; and the man whom he lovod, and who waa left alono in the wide world, longed with a bitter boi)eloBa longing to leave the torture of lifo and roat there by his side. (To txoontlnued.) KUIBLK BIKOS- NKSTS. Au Iiuiiortant' ladustry Aiuodb the An»- mese Natives. Travellers going from Hong Kong to Bangkok or Singapore by steamer paaa along the coast of Anam and near a groap of islanda that are at once picturesi|ue ana otirioua, aaya the Ban Franciaco Chronicle. Swallowa' neata are a source of riches to the region. - Their value ia aaid to have boon discovered some hundreds of yeara ago during the reign of Gia Long, who promised a liberal reward to any one who would discover a new and profitable article of export witliin this realm. The neata uiacovered on the island of Nam Ngai were presented to t!^ sovereign, who, faithful to hia promise, offered a patent of nobiUty to the finder. Thia waa reepectfnUy de- clined, and instead a monopoly of the harvest was accepted by the discoverer for himself and his descendants. The privi- leged family wag to pay yearly 80 pounds ot the nests to the emperor as royalty. On the other hind they were to be exempt from personal taxes, from military service and from contributiona of personal labor, auch aa are common in oriental coontriea. They formed a family league of 40 or SO men, elected two of their number as lead- ers, under the title of gnan and dot, and foanded a viUage convenient for their com- merce, which atiU exists under the name of Yen Xaâ€" " \'iUage of the Bwallowa' Neata." The nests are the product of a aalivary se- oretion ot the birds. As to their mercan- tile value they are divided into three dis- tinct categories. The most valuable are those into which there enters a certain proportion ot blood. These are caUed yen huyet. Singularly enoagb, they can only be produced by the birds which are affected with a malady resembling conaamptioK and which is attended by copioua hem- orrhage. Neata of thia kind are iu great demand. They are rare and gathered only in the apring. Lojal tradition says that these birds die ot exhaastion or ot the con- sumption in its advanced stages, before the end ot the second winter. Scientists being scarce am^ng the Anamese, and tho Freuoh colonists uot having yet had sufiicient time for observatiun, it is not known whether this disease is peculiar only to a part ot the birds, or whether the saUvary secretion that causes tho malady causes the death of alt of them after a year or two otexiatence. Tho smallnesa ot tho quantity ot these nests anuaally gatheredâ€" which ia only three or four poujids â€"would seem to indicate that tho disease ia only partial and peculiar to those possessed of tho weakest longs. All the other nests (yan sao) aro classed *a second qoality. Nothing but the aaliva of tho birds enters into their conatruction. They are gathered in the apring, aummer and aatuinn. The apring harvest is the most valuable because it includes the two qualities. Two nests ot tho tirat tjuality weigh one ounce, and are worth at the place of production five Mexican dollars at current value in Anam. Those ot the second ijuaUty are worth little more than half aa inuoh. Nearly all the neata are aold to the Chineae living in the cities of Anam and Tunquin, or aent to Cbineau ports. Only the Chinoae and some mandarina of thd court ot Hue, who prefer tho Chineae cuisiue, can afford the loxary. They are eaten by the Chinese oooked with tlesh or with sugar, having been first cleaned of all extraneous aubst&uoeo by a liberal appli- cation ot hot water. When cooked with fowl or game, fruit of tho water-lily ia added. Chinese phyaiciaua preacribe them as a sovereign remedy for diseases ot the lunga, asthma, disordered digestion and moat other maladies. A King; Iilh Ciipboartl. Old Mother Hubbard, or aomabody elao recently went to a cupboard in the royal palace at Madrid and found the future King of Spain. Little Alphonao had been left in charge of hia aistera, who deserted him after a time. The royal baby thereupon crawled into a cupboard, the door ot which waa afterwards closed by some one who did not know that the child waa inaide. Nuraoa, grooma, bittlora, ])agea, scullions, soldiers, relatives, back-stair potentatoa and front- ban tluukies, grandees, dona and door- koopera, aoarched the palace tor His Majeaty. At last ho was found, and the throbbing nerves of a great people were atille<l by a aenaatiou of joy. A NeW Club. Husband (irritably) â€" You have been talking with your neighbor acroaa tho fence just four hours. Wife (compoaedly)- Well, auppoae I have. l>on't you think we women have as much right to talk over our affairs as you men have to talk over yours ? U. Yos ; but goodness graoioas, foar hours 'â-  W.^Well, wo were talking of tornuug a club. H. W. A club I W'hat kind of a club? -An anti-gossip club. Struek the Wroug Mau, Temperance advocate (looking up signers ior the pledge)â€" Brother, may I aak yoa to join Old gentleman (who doesn't like to drink alone)â€" No, uo. You join me firat â€"it's my caU- and then I'll join you in another. A Case of .Hpouluiieous Cumbustluu, Tho Viotoria Colonist mentions apeculiar oaae ot spontaneous combustion whiohhap- l>ened recently in that city. .\ merchant named Gordon waa iu hia olllce ono night when a tlame broke out in another part of the proniiacs. He riiabed over to tho place and found that an ordinary vulcani/.ed rubber ring whioh had been brought up from the collar daring the day and place.d on an empty cracker box, had taken tiro. It was quite alone, and the only tonable theory of the combustion waa that it was apontaneona. ♦ In the presence of baiidreds of people, on one of the busieat thoroughfares in Chicago, Simon liosoufield, a travelling aalosiuan, atabbed himself to tho heart ou Saturday afternoon and toll to tho sidewalk dead. Ue was talking with two friends, neither of whom suspected hia intention or know the cauao ot the act. He haa frienda in Detroit. The death aentenoe ot Thomas Newton, the Winnipeg murderer, haa been oommttted to life impriaonment. F. J. Gould, of Kingston, bookkeeper fer J. Waahbnrn, merchant, for live yoarg, having auddonly disappeared, it waa dia- oovored that he was a detautter to the ex- ttmt ot S500. Tho trial at Halifax ot Mrs. Jane Doyle, chargOil with being an accessory to the murder of her husband, Teter Doyle, after the fact, was concluded on Saturday night. Judgo 'X'owQshend charged the jury against tho prisoner, but they disagreed and were discharged. There are five insane women confined in the Middlesex County Jail. One ot them, Keturah Harrison, broke the coll window! on Saturday with her bare (latH, bnt, strange to say, escaped injury. Mrs. Pons- Ueld, who haa been in the priaon for three years, is thoagbt to be near her death. Arthur BoauUcu waa committed at Mon- treal Saturday morning to tho Court of Queen's Bench on an indictment for attempt to murder /ozimo Masaon, at whom bo threw a pair ot heavy tongs at tbo O. V. U. shops on tho 10th of January last. The doctor reported that Masaon was dying at the hospital. An east-bound freight train on the Grand Trunk broke au axle last night about four miles west of Brighton, at tho place known as " The Dangers." Kleven can were wrecked. It will probably take all night to olear the track. Last night's through express from Montreal waa de- tained at Oobourg in oonae<|ueuco of the accident. No one waa injured. A aerions aooidont occurred on Saturday near Marthaville. Mr. J. A. Cook, editor of tho I'etrolso Topic, and Mr. Joseph Alexander, proprietor of tho Tocumaeh House, were out driving. Their horse took fright and ran away, throwing the occupants ot tho carriage out. Mr. Alexander had hia leg broken in two placea and Mr. Cook rocoived injuries around the head and had some ot his ribs tractared.